Wednesday Overnight Open Thread - December 17, 2025 [North Pole Rex]

—Open Blogger

Good evening Horde. The time has come for mid-week shenanigans of the post-cafe overnight variety.

Welcome to the Wednesday night ONT which means another edition of random overnight fun and games. Pull up a chair and sit a spell. Good will offerings of amusing puns are happily accepted. Pants are optional. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors. Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice.

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"No matter the ailment, the Wednesday ONT is the cure and sure to make you feel better."

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"Wasn't this in ONT Christmas season content last year?"

Damn right, it was.

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Hat tip to a Moron but no idea which one. If it was you, thank you!

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Got yer tree yet?

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Would be a good white elephant gift:

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Not all heroes wear capes:

NEW: Los Angeles man known as the 'Cone King' says he has removed 5000 illegal cones from the streets that residents use to reserve parking.

Joey Morales says he has been working to get illegal cones off the streets since 2023.

The vigilante parking enforcement officer now… pic.twitter.com/vGl2f3GQpi

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2025

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ONT Department of Military Long Form Reading Material

Apologies if this has already been posted somewhere on Ace of Spades, but posting to make sure you see. Mandatory reading (since this is a semi-serious military blog at times).

A Week In The Pentagon - Chaos, Complexity and Hope

Many pull quotes but this one is a good example:

And here's the truth no one outside the building understands: often Trump himself doesn't know the decision in advance - and that is by design.

In the old model, a policy chief like Colby - if he wasn't drowned out entirely by the bureaucratic circus - would brief the President only after the internal machinery had already decided which ideas were "viable." By the time anything reached the Oval Office, the cake was half-baked.

Colby doesn't play that game. He encourages his team to present the President with multiple strategic pathways that share one overarching objective: put America first. Not metaphorically-literally. Then Trump chooses.

And once the President selects a strategy, everything changes.

In previous administrations, the moment a plan left the Oval Office, think tanks, senators, lobbyists, foreign service officials, intel chiefs, and a whole menagerie of Beltway fauna would descend on the National Security Council to tug at the plan, dilute it, reshape it, or kill it entirely. Every actor demanded their piece, their clause, their carve-out, their exception. Strategy, once released into the wild, rarely survived the stampede.

That era is over.

Trump doesn't ignore these players - he's altered significant strategies to accommodate strong objections from Congress and foreign allies - but he no longer allows them to hijack the core plan. They may comment. They may object. They may warn. They may advise. But they are no longer permitted to quietly amputate or rewrite the strategic heart before it beats.

The wonks are in charge again - but not the conference-circuit wonks with PhDs, hotel per diems, and NATO summit panels funded by NGOs with agendas buried in their footnotes. Not the pseudo-experts who present PowerPoints about imaginary futures.

The wonks in charge now are the ones who can take the boundless complexity of geopolitics and distill it down to America's core interests - those who can see the world not as a chessboard or a cocktail party but as a dynamic system requiring clarity, courage, and constant recalibration.

And for the first time in decades, the Pentagon is beginning to operate according to that principle.

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Obscure South Park Christmas special reference:

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ONT Department of Lego Construction

Anyone build their own Lego piece sorter? I didn't know this, but there is an entire sub-genre on YouTube of people making videos about making Lego piece sorters. I will admit, as a general rule, I am endlessly fascinated seeing many different solutions attempting to solve the same problem. (But I am also easily amused, so there is that...)

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ONT Department of Military History

Last Wednesday's ONT included the story of the Vietnam-era toilet bomb. But wait, there's more!

From The War Zone:

CWO3 Wayne Toth, a member of VFA-25, who shared his photos with us for this article, also gave us a little background on how the toilet-bomb was brought back to life:

"I am the Gunner in now VFA-25. We had a change of command and decided to replicate it. This time on a brand new BLOCK III Super Hornet.

One of my AO3s (AO3 Meagan Rickets) picked up a toilet from [the] marketplace, and I cut the steel, used Mk 76 lugs, made the tail assembly out of multiple dryer exhausts, and our Corrosion Control made the stickers."

The change of command ceremony occurred on September 16 at Naval Air Station Lemoore where the historic toilet recreation was so proudly displayed. During the ceremony, Commander Mark "IROC" Tedrow, a former Blue Angel, took over as skipper of VFA-25 from Commander Kristen Hansen. It was a perfect place for a fun callback to the proud history of the squadron.

Bonus answer to the question from last week: Why did the original toilet have an "E" on it?

The "E" seen on the toilet denotes the unit has been awarded the Battle Effectiveness Award.

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REMINDER

Saturday's Hobby Thread requires Horde participation. On last Saturday's Hobby Thread, we honored the Christmas ornament. Many among the Horde sent photos of ornaments from their collections to the Hobby Thread email address. It seemed to go well, so we're doing it again this Saturday. That means if you missed it the first time or you have another ornament to submit, you get another chance.

Could be something sentimental, something you made as a child or an adult, something special given to you, something you picked up on your travels, something whimsical or fun, something particularly novel, something really old, something handmade, something intricate or fancy, something irreverent and cheeky, etc.

If there is a story behind your photo, send a brief description. I may edit or inappropriately embellish, so be warned.

If you don't have an ornament, but have some other favorite festive Christmas decoration, send it in. Ornaments get priority but will feature other decorations if there is space.

THANK YOU!

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Popcorn anyone?

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The Pittsburgh police scanner keeps giving. Thank you people of Pittsburgh!

And the grand finale:

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The Brian Setzer Orchestra for the big ONT finish.

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Written correspondence can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Are you lurking ?? Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Close it up

Trump Speech Thread

—Ace

I've been advising Trump to deliver a speech to the public, focused on the economy, for a while now.

Glad he's doing it.

President Trump is set to address the nation in prime time Wednesday night, using a nationally televised speech to highlight major accomplishments over his first year back in office while offering a preview of the policy fights ahead as his administration presses deeper into America's "Golden Age."

The address is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern, live from the White House. Trump announced the speech himself Tuesday in a post on Truth Social, writing, "My Fellow Americans: I will be giving an ADDRESS TO THE NATION tomorrow night, LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, at 9 P.M. EST." He added, "It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!"

Nature Lovers Cafe

—Ace

Half of my days are now spent thinking, "This better not be AI." I think it is AI. I am sharing it so that you know my pain.

Allegedly, not AI, just done with mirrors.

Whip-like sledgehammer.

I'm a leaf, see

This little owl is such a little tough guy it hurts my heart.

Self defense dog.

Airport K9 dog has a Zoomie break.

skwrrlz
She takes the "step on a crack break your mother's back" rule very seriously.

After Months of Rumors and Speculation, Dan Bongino Announces He's Leaving the FBI

—Ace

Dan Bongino @FBIDDBongino

31m

I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January.
I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.
Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.
God bless America, and all those who defend Her.

Trump says he wants to go back to his show. I figure that's probably right. He had a great job. He did a turn of service. He figures he's done enough and it's time to go back to his permanent job.

And he might have decided he doesn't like the constant denigration and the claims he's covering up for Epstein and now for the innocent patsy Tyler Robinson, and has decided, "Enough of this bullshit." Working for less money than you're used to is one thing, seeing your reputation permanently damaged by conspiracy-addled blowhards is another thing.

Shock: Somali Scammer Caught Perpetrating Another Somali Scam

—Ace

The moment that Tom Homan announced he was investigating Ilhan "Omar" Nur's lifetime of defrauding the US immigration system, she suddenly had an outrage to "bitch" about, as Trump said.

When people began asking about her immigration fraud and marrying her fucking gay brother, she claimed her son had been pulled over by ICE and almost kidnapped in an attempt to intimidate her!!!

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons is flatly rejecting Rep. Ilhan Omar's claim that ICE agents pulled over her son after a routine trip to Target, calling the allegation baseless and unsupported by any agency record.

Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and longtime critic of federal immigration enforcement, said in a recent interview that her son was stopped by ICE and released only after producing his passport. When the interviewer pressed her on the unusual detail that her son allegedly had a passport on him while shopping, Omar doubled down on the story.

Lyons, however, told Fox News Digital that ICE has "absolutely zero record" of any officers or agents stopping Omar's son. He said it "speaks volumes" that the congresswoman is making the accusation without evidence and suggested the claim is part of a broader effort to vilify ICE as the Trump administration ramps up deportations.

Omar's office has refused to retreat. Spokeswoman Jacklyn Rogers said the congresswoman is standing by her account, alleging that Omar's son and others were racially profiled and forced to prove their citizenship. Rogers accused ICE of operating as a "rogue agency" and claimed it routinely fails to maintain accurate records, adding that Omar's office would welcome the chance to review any documentation ICE says it has.

The dispute comes as Omar continues to defend Somali migrants in Minnesota amid a series of massive fraud cases tied to state and federal aid programs. One of the most prominent cases involves Feeding Our Future, a Minneapolis-area nonprofit run by Somali migrants that prosecutors say siphoned roughly $250 million from child nutrition programs.

And speaking of this Somali whore marrying her gay brother: "Yes, Ilhan Omar married her brother."

I'm talking about Omar's marriage to her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Trump may have garbled the specifics, but he got the upshot of the story right. Omar's family brought Elmi over from London around 2002 to try to extract him from a gay lifestyle, and that is the context in which the congresswoman tied the knot with him.

...

A reader had directed me to a post on a message board called SomaliSpot, which has since been removed from the Internet. It asserted that Omar had married her husband, Ahmed Hirsi--the father of her children--in 2002, but that she had then married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, in 2009. Her campaign website advertised Hirsi as her husband and made no mention of Elmi.

I checked out the SomaliSpot story online through the Minnesota Official Marriage System. Inputting Omar's name, I found that the two marriages cited in the SomaliSpot post checked out as indicated. The site reflected Omar's 2002 marriage to her advertised husband, Ahmed Aden (later Ahmed Hirsi), and her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi identified in the SomaliSpot post as Omar's brother. As it turned out, Omar and Hirsi had only applied for a marriage license in 2002 but never followed through with a legal marriage.

Citing the SomaliSpot post and online marriage information, I contacted Omar's campaign and got a response from criminal defense attorney Jean Brandl. I had seen her in court representing one of the six Somali defendants who pleaded guilty in the 2016 ISIS terrorism case. The attorney's message was a classic nonresponse response that called me a bigot and said I should direct further questions to her rather than the campaign spokesman I had called. She seemed to think she could scare me off. When I directed my further questions to her as she had instructed, she ignored me.

I wrote about all this on Power Line. My post slowly generated a huge controversy that the Minnesota Star Tribune eventually covered. I got a call from then-Star Tribune reporter Patrick Coolican, who told me that he was writing the story and that the campaign denied that Elmi is Omar's brother. I asked, "Who do they say he is?" He responded: "They won't tell me."

...

Their story proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Omar married her brother for some fraudulent purpose. Coolican and Montemayor all but begged Omar for an interview and access to her family to discuss the issue. She repaid them with the same kind of treatment I had received in 2016. These left-wing reporters for a left-wing newspaper begged Omar for a response, but they got the same one I had in 2016. They were bigots, too.

"Whether by colluding with right-wing outlets to go after Muslim elected officials or hounding family members, legitimate media outlets have a responsibility not to fan the flames of hate," her spokesman told the paper. "Continuing to do so is not only demeaning to Ilhan, but to her entire family."

Between 2016 and 2019, reporters including Preya Samsundar at Minnesota's Alpha News and David Steinberg at PJ Media also added a trove of information supporting the proposition that Omar had married her brother in 2009. In 2019, I published Steinberg's illustrated summary, "Tying up loose threads in the curious case," on Power Line.

It lays out in meticulous detail what several Somali sources relayed both to him and to me, as well as social media posts that make it clear Elmi is Omar's brother. Omar entered the United States in 1995 as a fraudulent member of the Omar family, which was granted asylum in the United States and settled in Arlington, Va., along with her sister Sahra and her father Nur Said. The rest of Omar's genetic family, the Elmi family--a sister, Leila, and Mohamed and Ahmed--was granted asylum in the United Kingdom.

Social media posts throughout the years show Omar and her siblings in both the United States and the United Kingdom referring to each other, and to their father, as such. It is not difficult to track.

Miranda Divine previously reported that a highly-incurious FBI refused to investigate this crime and let the, get this, statute of limitations run.

Only hours after Minnesota GOP operative Anton Lazarro posted online DNA evidence that allegedly shows Rep. Ilhan Omar was once married to her brother, the FBI busted him.

The test results stated there is a 99.999998 percent chance that Omar and her second husband, Ahmed Elmi, now her ex-husband, are siblings, according to an analysis by British company Endeavor DNA Laboratories. But before Lazarro could share the results with the media, he was arrested Thursday on underage sex-trafficking charges and jailed pending a court hearing Monday.

His website, IlhanOmarDNA.com, containing the DNA test results, was online briefly before it was taken down Wednesday.

Lazarro and a group of conservative donors had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on three continents hiring private investigators to track down Elmi Omar's ex-husband in the UK and procure his DNA from a drinking straw. Omar's DNA, Lazarro's website claimed, was extracted from saliva on a cigarette butt she was photographed smoking.

Omar previously has denied Elmi is her brother, calling the claim "absolutely false," "absurd" and "offensive."

Special Agent Joy Hess, from the FBI's Twin Cities field office, which investigated allegations that Omar married her brother Elmi to get around US immigration laws, says the "statute of limitations" had run out on the case. In a recorded conversation with an associate of Lazarro, posted on his website Wednesday, Hess also said the FBI could not pursue the case because Omar's ex-husband Elmi had moved overseas.

"The statute of limitations is over," she said. "According to the US Attorney's office The Statute of Limitations is not something we can overcome in that matter ... The individual in question left the country so there's nothing to [do]."

Lot of that going round.

Brown University Releases Blurry Photos of Second Person Seen "in Proximity" of Actual Suspect

—Ace

This could very well be a complete rando who was a stranger to the chubby shooter.

Asking for information about this likely rando shows how lost and desperate the Brown crew is.

I guess maybe this guy could have had a better look at the obese terrorist, but... he would still have seen Chubbs McMurder wearing a mask, something the left has normalized and even sacralized. Now most criminals wear masks. It used to be illegal to wear a mask in public, now it's a sacrament.

The Providence Police Department has widened its search to include a person who was “in proximity” to the at-large Brown University gunman who murdered two students and wounded seven others on Saturday.

“Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying and speaking to the individual shown in these photos who was in proximity of the person of interest,” the Rhode Island department wrote on X alongside several photos.

“Anyone with information is urged to contact the tip line at 401-272-3121.”

The individual featured in the newly released grainy surveillance camera captures is wearing a blue jacket with a green hood, dark pants and is holding what appears to be a light-colored satchel slung over their right shoulder.

It appears to be the same person spotted in surveillance footage previously released by FBI Boston, which also shows the unidentified suspect walking down a suburban Providence street less than two hours before the shooting.

In the footage, the suspect appears to look to his right and spot the backpack-wearing individual before breaking into a sprint down a side street at 2:16 p.m. Dec. 13.

So did something about the killer alarm him? Did he see a gun?

I don't know. I guess it's possible he's even a confederate but unless I'm reading this wrong they were never seen speaking together or interacting.

"Big Fani" Willis Takes the Stand in State Inquiry Into Her Corrupt Persecution of Trump

—Ace

The Georgia Senate is probing irregularities and possible corruption in the "Big Fani" Willis persecution of Trump and various Trump supporters and their lawyers.

One aspect they're probing is whether "Big Fani" ran the investigation for her personal benefit, paying a huge and hugely inappropriate salary to her secret boyfriend Darrius "Sweetdick" Honeycum, Esq., who then used those taxpayer funds to take "Big Fani" around the world on luxury trips.

When asked about this, Big Fani did something that will SHOOK you. (Yes, I said "shook," it's a young people thing, you don't understand me or my generation. Six-seven!)

Big Fani, get this, covered up her embezzlement and self-dealing by playing -- brace yourselves for incoming Shook -- the race card.

Trump Announces Total Blockade On All Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers; Demands Venezuela Return "All Lands, Oil, and all other Assets they previously stole from us"

—Ace

I sense that Maduro's Minister of Propaganda will get a fawning interview on Tucker Carlson's show in the next couple of weeks.

Note that only some of Venezuela's tankers have been sanctioned for carrying banned Iranian oil. So this is not a blockade of all of their oil tankers.

It is nevertheless an escalation.

The Walls, CNN might say, are Closing In on Maduro.

Related: Gas is now under $2.75 per gallon in 23 states.

The price of gas is now at a five year low -- it had previously been at a four year low.

Now it's at its lowest level not just since covid, but since Trump's pre-covid final year of term one.

Americans are heading into Christmas with a financial break at the pump that hasn't been seen in years, as gas prices are projected to hit their lowest Christmas Day average since 2020 -- the final full year of President Trump's first term. The White House credits Trump's renewed focus on domestic energy production and regulatory restraint for the drop, arguing the contrast with the Biden years could not be clearer. "Thanks to President Trump, gas prices have hit a five-year low and Christmas Day gas prices are projected to fall to the lowest level since 2020," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Breitbart News, adding that driving down energy costs for families and businesses will remain a top priority as the administration looks ahead to the new year.

Data from GasBuddy suggests the relief will be tangible. The firm estimates Americans will save more than $500 million on fuel during Christmas week compared to last year alone, a meaningful reprieve after years of elevated prices that hammered household budgets. The historical comparison underscores the shift. On Christmas Day 2020, gas averaged about $2.26 per gallon nationwide while Trump was still in office. Just one year later, with Joe Biden less than a year into his presidency, that figure had jumped to roughly $3.26 per gallon. Prices stayed stubbornly above $3 on Christmas Day throughout Biden's term, averaging $3.05 in 2022 and $3.10 in 2023.

Those holiday figures came against the backdrop of a broader energy shock under Biden, who presided over the highest gas prices in U.S. history during the inflation surge that followed his policy reversals on drilling, pipelines, and energy investment. On June 14, 2022, the national average for regular unleaded hit $5.016 per gallon, according to AAA -- a number that became emblematic of the administration's broader economic troubles.

Industry analysts point to improving fundamentals now driving prices lower, but the White House is quick to frame those gains as policy-driven. GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan said refinery maintenance has wrapped up, supplies are increasing, and seasonal demand is down, all of which are keeping prices in check. "Provided there are no surprises, holiday travelers should see pump prices that come in a bit lower than last Christmas," De Haan said, adding that early indicators suggest lower prices could extend into next year as GasBuddy prepares to release its 2026 fuel outlook in January.

For the Trump administration, the timing matters. Lower gas prices during the holidays serve as a highly visible reminder of how energy policy ripples through the broader economy -- and a direct contrast to the Biden-era spikes that voters still remember. As millions of Americans hit the road to see family, the message from the White House is simple: energy dominance isn't an abstraction. It shows up on the receipt at the gas station.

Axios: Kamala Harris Is Leaning Towards Running Again in 2028;
Unnamed Democrats Are Attacking Gavin Newsom to Deny Him His Coronation

—Ace

I'm a pessimist, so I never believe that the best possible outcome will come to pass just because I want it to. I never believed, for example, that Biden would wind up being the nominee in 2024, despite my intense desire that he be so.

But Kamala Harris is making me focus on what can be, unburdened by what has been.

Maybe this dingbat ding-a-ling really will run again -- and maybe the most important cohort in the Democrat Party, black women, will give her the win.

What, did you just fall out of the coconut tree?

LOS ANGELES -- Kamala Harris isn't planning to go gentle into that good night. This week the former vice president made clear to potential 2028 rivals that she's working to keep another White House campaign viable.

Why it matters: Despite worries from party leaders and donors that she can't win, Harris remains at or near the top of most 2028 Democratic primary polls. She also has strong support among Black voters -- the most critical voting bloc in most recent Democratic presidential primaries.

Driving the news: After lying low the first part of this year and then embarking on a 2024-focused book tour, Harris made several moves this week that many Democrats see as the beginnings of a 2028 campaign.

Her book tour expanded. Harris announced many more stops on her tour to promote "107 Days," her story of her short presidential campaign last year. Tour stops in early 2026 will include the historically critical primary state of South Carolina and cities with many Black voters, including Detroit, Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Tenn., and Montgomery, Ala.

She appeared before the Democratic National Committee. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, mingled with national party officials and state party chairs in Los Angeles this week during the DNC's winter meeting.

At a reception Wednesday evening, DNC chair Ken Martin introduced Emhoff as the former second gentleman and quipped that he could be the future first gentleman, people who heard the remarks told Axios.

Harris is rolling out new rhetoric.

She railed against both parties and the status quo in a speech Friday to Democratic officials. Many in the room told Axios they were struck by how different Harris' remarks were from her Biden-defending message on the campaign trail last year.

"Both parties have failed to hold the public's trust," Harris said. "Government is viewed as fundamentally unable to meet the needs of its people.... People are done with the status quo and they're ready to break things to force change."

...

What they're saying: Harris spokesperson Kirsten Allen said Harris "will approach 2026 with the same commitment that anchored 2025 -- listening to the American people, reflecting where leadership has fallen short, and helping shape the path forward beyond this political moment."

Allen added that includes "supporting efforts to win back Democratic majorities in the House and Senate."

She'll be appearing on leftwing church elder Jimmy Kimmel's televangelist show next week.

Meanwhile, unnamed Democrats -- though we know with 100% confidence they're supporters and employees of the likely candidates Pritizker, Bootyjudge, Harris, and even the Fiercely Heterosexual Spartacus Booker -- are planting disparaging information about Gavin Newsom in their allied press.

They're even attacking him as... too left wing???!!?!

Gavin Newsom's Democratic rivals are plotting how to take down the early 2028 frontrunner, with a heavy emphasis on how unpopular his left-leaning views are outside deep-blue California.

Driving the news: Our conversations with more than 20 Democratic operatives, including several working for 2028 hopefuls, reveal that they see the California governor as the guy to beat -- and a guy with a lot of personal baggage that's exploitable for a presidential primary.

The consensus themes to expect in attacks on Newsom:

The "too liberal, coastal elite" argument

If primary voters prioritize electability, Newsom -- a former San Francisco mayor -- could be seen as a risky choice, the operatives say.

...

The wealthy Getty family has been a key backer of Newsom's political and business career, leading some of his foes in California to call him a slick "Davos Democrat."

2. The scandals

When he was San Francisco's mayor in early 2007, Newsom apologized for having an affair with his campaign manager's wife, who was also a subordinate in his mayoral office.

...

During strict COVID lockdowns he imposed as governor, Newsom in November 2020 attended a birthday dinner for a lobbyist and adviser at the posh French Laundry in Napa.

...

Zoom in: Some of Newsom's potential rivals and other Democratic leaders have begun going public with attacks.

California Rep. Ro Khanna, referring to Newsom's former chief of staff recently being charged with corruption, said the aide's indictment is a "toxic stain" on the state.

Kamala Harris: Tried and tested. Tanned, rested, and ready.

With Illegals Being Deported or Self-Deporting, Foreign Demand for Rental Properties Falls, and Rents Finally Start Falling as Well

—Ace

I know commenters have been hammering the direct impact of open borders on rents.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the early evidence is in: President Trump's renewed border enforcement and mass deportation campaign is easing pressure on the housing market, delivering tangible relief for renters who were hammered during the Biden years. Speaking on Fox Business Channel, Bessent pointed to fresh rent data showing apartment prices fell 1.1 percent compared to a year ago and are now down 5.2 percent from their 2022 peak, when housing costs were surging nationwide. Bessent argued the decline isn't accidental, but the predictable result of reversing what he called years of "unfettered immigration" that flooded local housing markets and forced working Americans to compete for limited supply.

Citing a recent Wharton School study, Bessent noted a near one-to-one relationship
between population growth and rent increases, saying the research found that "every one percent increase in population" translated into roughly a one percent rise in rents. "Rents are down," Bessent said, adding that the Biden administration refused to acknowledge how mass migration fueled the affordability crisis.

Wednesday Morning Rant

—Joe Mannix

Last week, the New York Post ran an article on an obviously predatory activity with a major online grocery ordering platform - and managed to seriously miss the real point. The article is about a recent study of Instacart, which exposed wildly different pricing for the same items at the same stores at the same time, depending on who did the ordering. Per the study, prices varied by an average of 13% and as much as 23%. That's a huge range.

Too bad the Post misses the problem entirely in its coverage of the story and misinterprets the underlying issue. As the paper put it:

It's the latest example of so-called "dynamic pricing" -- the hated practice introduced more than a decade ago by Uber and Lyft, hiking prices for rides during rainstorms -- that is nickel-and-diming consumers, even as relentless inflation has sparked an affordability crisis.

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

I once dated a lovely young lady named Dido!

The Morning Report — 12/17/25

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. From friend and co-blogger CBD's excellent Morning Rant essay yesterday on potential US involvement in Ukraine.

Both Ukraine and Russia are churning through soldiers at an astounding rate, and the idea that America should provide some ironclad security in the event of another border clash is batshit crazy.

I read that and then I remembered a link from yesterday which takes the expression "batshit crazy" to a whole new level.

Communist dictator Kim Jong-un of North Korea held a welcome back ceremony for soldiers serving in the battlefield of the Russian invasion of Ukraine this weekend, acknowledging a regiment believed to have been helping clear landmines in which at least nine soldiers died.

So the Norks are clearing mines for Putin. And what would happen if suppose there was an encounter with US troops and a firefight broke out? Despite the armistice of 1953, the North Korean regimes under successive generations of the Kim dynasty still consider themselves in a state of war with the USA and have maintained their goal of retaking and absorbing South Korea. Yeah, batshit crazy but what if Ukraine somehow devolved into a second front of the ongoing Korean "conflict?" Considering the bizarre and often testy relationship between President Trump and "Rocket Man" Kim . . . again, batshit crazy indeed.

Elsewhere in the world, we have an incident involving the USA and North Korea's prime ally:

A US special operations team in the Indian Ocean raided a ship headed to Iran from China last month and seized military-related articles, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials.

The cargo consisted of components potentially useful for Iran’s conventional weapons, one official said, adding the shipment had been destroyed.

US forces boarded the ship several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to the newspaper, which added the vessel was later allowed to proceed….. The report cited an American official as saying US intelligence indicated the shipment was headed for Iranian companies known to be intermediaries for the country’s missile development efforts.

The action was part of a campaign by the US Defense Department to cut off Iran’s covert arms supply networks….The Iran-China relationship is a cause for concern, but is also unpredictable, since according to analysts across the board, China does not want Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.

The incident of American commandos raiding the ship that was heading from China to Iran was “part of a campaign by the US Defense Department to cut off Iran’s covert arms supply networks.”
Nonetheless, in the global arena, the red-green alliance is growing stronger and expanding strategically, which isn’t good news for American interests.

It should be noted that Iran and North Korea have also had and likely still have a very close relationship due to their mutual animosity and hatred of the USA and now more than ever with Trump as President. Over the years they have collaborated on both nuclear weapons and missile technology. Iran and China have made inroads in our own backyard, most especially in Venezuela first with Chavez and now Maduro, as well as some of the other Commie dictators in the region. It's why the recent elections in Chile and elsewhere installing more American aligned leaders and a rejection of the Leftists are most welcome and gratifying.

The most welcome IMHO and vocal and strident reassertion by this President of the Monroe doctrine could not come at a more crucial time in geopolitics both in this hemisphere and with repercussions that go far beyond it. That said, given the nature of the players in Beijing, Pyongyang, Tehran and Caracas as well as Moscow the word RISK takes on a meaning well beyond that of a mere old time kids' board game.

Yet with all this going on in the world, the greatest risk to America and of our way of life still remains the enemy within.

Here are but two items from the links wherein greasy greaseball Gavin Newsom

and Nazi-afficionado and fanboi Graham Platner are primed and ready to seize vast tracts of land from the citizenry for the most heinous of politicized reasons.

And where does this insanity begin? Kindergarten!

Do you know what a “neopronoun” or a “xeopronoun” is? The teachers’ unions want to make sure your little kids do. . .Got it? No? But our kids are being force-fed this garbage in America’s public schools. The NEA touts over 3 million members, many of them teachers in our schools. The union steeps the teachers in this leftist brain rot, and the teachers spread it at schools across the country. It’s not just the gender bunk that was presented at the conference, either. The NEA is not entirely sure this whole “America” thing is going to stick, so they refer to it as “what we know as the United States of America” and “What we now call the United States of America” in multiple slides. Apparently xeopronouns are rock-solid but a 249-year-old country might just be a fad. Also, sorry gay people, but “homosexual” is a no-no term now, according to the NEA. . . Also, sorry gay people, but “homosexual” is a no-no term now, according to the NEA. Why? Because “this term comes across as clinical and dog whistle-y.” Well, yes, it sounds clinical because it’s a biological term and not a word made up by some TikTok influencer to describe the gender identity of the moment. How can the NEA still be prioritizing this foolishness in the year 2025? And why does an openly political special interest group continue to have so much sway over our kids? Why? How much longer can groups like this, pushing a crazy agenda, have access to our kids and their schools? Parents need to remain on guard from this asininity oozing into their kids’ classrooms.

Have a good day.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY LINKS
• Iran desperately seeking out allies, shifts to China for support.
  US Commandos Raid Ship Carrying Military Items to Iran From China

• Karol Markowicz: Do you know what a “neopronoun” or a “xeopronoun” is? The teachers’ unions want to make sure your little kids do.
  Teachers union pushes ‘neopronouns’ but claims name ‘America’ is a problem

Daily Tech News 17 December 2025

—Pixy Misa

• Coupang - South Korea's equivalent to Amazon - got hacked. (WSJ) (archive site)
  
  Initial disclosure indicated that 4500 customers were affected.
  
  This number has since been updated to 34 million.
  
  
  
• Speaking of which, Midjourney is alemwjsl. (Aadill Pickle)
  
  Me: That's someone typing the local name for Midjourney on a CJKV keyboard with the language accidentally set to English.
  
  Article: Uh... Yes. Korean.

Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - December 16, 2025 [Doof]

—Open Blogger

Howdy Hordelings! Tuesday night ONT time. Glad you're here. Single digit number of days left until Christmas. Have you bought your gifts for your favorite ONT host? There's still time!

***

Beam Me Up, Florida Man!

Florida Man Claims He Was ‘Teleported Into’ Stolen BMW Before Crash

A man who crashed a BMW convertible in Volusia County this week told deputies he didn’t steal the car—he was “teleported into” it, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred Monday near the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and Plantation Oaks Boulevard. Authorities said 36-year-old Calvin Curtis Johnson crashed the vehicle after allegedly taking it from Bicentennial Park.

According to deputies, the BMW had been left unlocked with the keys inside a cupholder while its owner walked his dog. Moments later, the car was reported stolen.

Shortly after, the BMW crashed. Witnesses at the scene reportedly helped pull Johnson from the wrecked vehicle. When questioned by deputies, Johnson admitted to driving over 100 mph before the crash but claimed he didn’t steal the car—instead, he said he had been “teleported into” the driver’s seat.

Video segment at the link. Check it out.

***

Aviation Monstrosity

We haven't seen occasional ONT host and flying fanatic Roger Ball in a while. Perhaps he's here tonight and maybe knows a thing or 2 about this wide winged bird.

The World’s Largest Aircraft by Wingspan is Considerably Wider Than a Football Field

Nicknamed ROC after the giant mythical bird capable of carrying off elephants in its talons, the Stratolaunch Model 351 is a one-of-a-kind engineering marvel. Originally designed to carry air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets, it was subsequently repurposed to offer air launch hypersonic flight testing following the death of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who had also co-founded Scaled Composites, the maker of the ROC.

Looking like two jets fused together, the Stratolaunch ROC is an impressive sight to behold. Each of its two fuselages is 238 ft (73 m) long and supported by 12 main landing gear wheels and two nose gear wheels, for a total of 28 wheels. The combined wingspan of these two fuselages adds up to 385 feet (117 m), making the ROC wider than a 300 ft (91 m) American football field.

Interestingly, the pilot, copilot, and flight engineer are located in the right fuselage cockpit, while the flight data systems are in the left fuselage, which is completely unmanned. This massive aircraft is powered by six massive Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines capable of providing 56,750 lbf (252.4 kN) of thrust per engine.

Lots of numbers and stuff there that don't make much sense to me. But the thing looks kewl! Multiple video clips at the link.

***

2A Corner

Rhetorical question?

-----

Hmmm. Is "Fred" available for the next Texas MoMe? I'll bring the paper plates!

fred is fine he’s holding 500 paper plates 🔫 pic.twitter.com/dHWlZObOAQ

— kekius tees (@kekmaximusk) December 14, 2025

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Another one that shouldn't be confusing

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'Tis the Season

***

Science, Yo!

Where are my fellow whiskey lovers?

A single drop of whiskey vs. millions of bacteria.

pic.twitter.com/p622kbseX6

— Science girl (@sciencegirl) December 13, 2025

Notice that the dropper was loaded with "neat" whiskey. Not on the rocks or mixed with Diet Coke. Just sayin'.

***

DJ Doof - Guess The Theme

Easy one tonight - Difficulty level 1 out of 5

What's the common thread / common meaning / common leitmotif?

***

Tonight's ONT brought to you by the good ol' days

***

Tonight's ONT was produced by the only guy not burning end of year use or lose time at Doof Enterprises, LLC. No clue why he even showed up. He must care about you!

Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me. All I want for Christmas are some Rush deep cuts!

***

Almost forgot - something for a moron friend who celebrates a birthday tomorrow.

Close it up

Goat Lover Cafe

—Ace

Buck Moon over Northumberland,
by Jim Scott Photography

Yield.

Triple dog stare.

Dog knows better than to screw around with the kitten when the mama's around.

Hangry dogs need you to know it's feeding time.

Duncanthrax's nightmare job.

Cat thinks Christmas is all staged for him. When in reality, it's all for the alpacas.

Dogs hate the media too and they must be right because they're very good boys.

Kind of a rude Benny-Hill style sight gag.

River otter, being evil.

It's getting hard to find real content because people are now posting fake AI slop. It's getting annoying.

China opens a new electricity plant.

Charge by an adult rhino.

I hope this isn't AI slop.

Federal Investigators Believed the Clintons May Have Committed a Crime in Taking Money from Russia and Then Approving the Sale of a Uranium Company to Russia, But the DOJ and FBI Let the Statute of Limitations Run

—Ace

That pattern keeps occurring, huh?

Whoops, the statute of limitations ran out again. We just lost track of the dates!

If you don't remember the case: the Clinton's worldwide bribery and graft organization, the Clinton Funding Machine, I mean the Clinton Foundation, took money from a Russian-government controlled company. Then Hillary Clinton's State Department turned around and repaid the bribe by approving the sale of a uranium company to the same Russian-government controlled company.

The statute of limitations expired during Trump's first term, but Just the News reports that the DOJ and FBI gave investigators the run-around in arguing that the statute of limitations expired at the earliest possible time, rather than looking at arguments that the statute ran later (due to Clinton continuing the conspiracy).

Hillary Clinton's own Russia scandal: FBI memos detail how Uranium One probe thwarted

Running out the clock: The FBI and DOJ slow-walked their investigation into the Clinton Foundation and the sale of Uranium One to Russia-backed interests. As a result of roadblocks, the statute of limitations was allowed to lapse on any prosecution.

By Jerry Dunleavy

Federal investigators believed there was significant evidence worth pursuing related to possible criminality involving the Clinton Foundation and the State Department's approval of the sale of Uranium One to Russian state-owned interests, but delays by the Justice Department and FBI led the inquiry to whither and die because of statute of limitations issues.

The sale of the Canada-based Uranium One to the Russian state-owned Rosatom was the focus of great controversy and scrutiny from Republicans and others who argued that then-Secretary of State Clinton helped approve the deal and that the Clinton Foundation may have stood to benefit from it.

Career agents and line prosecutors at the FBI and DOJ also believed the saga may have been a criminal one, but orders from DOJ leaders such as then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe slow-walked and stonewalled the inquiry to the point where it could no longer be pursued.

FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors in Little Rock, Arkansas and elsewhere closely scrutinized the scandal -- but were largely blocked from serious investigative action due to leadership delays and, following those delays, arguments that the statute of limitations had run out.

Jonathan Ross, then the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, argued in a 2018 email that "there is no legal barrier in continuing the present investigation" into the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One. Ross has served as U.S. Attorney in Arkansas since 2022, including during Trump's second term.

Then-U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland of Arkansas also sent a 2018 email to then-U.S. Attorney John Huber of Utah, largely summarizing Ross's arguments, stressing that "we do not believe the prosecution is time-barred by a statute of limitations" in part "because payments from the subjects of the investigation to the Foundation were made continuously from 2007 through 2014."

A newly-declassified internal FBI investigative timeline also argued that claims that the statute of limitations had run out on the Uranium One inquiry "failed to include whether Acts of Concealment such as deleting emails in 2015 and making additional statements and representations about those deletions would have extended the statute of limitations" and also pointed to possible federal criminal statutes such as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, major fraud against the United States, and bank fraud.

The timeline also argued that 18 U.S. Code § 3287 -- Wartime Suspension of Statute of Limitations Act -- should have extended the statute of limitations for this alleged criminality as well.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, made the records produced to him by FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi available to Just the News this past weekend.

Looks like they gave Trump the run-around, and then he dropped the ball. In fairness to Trump -- the entire Deep State had gotten his chosen AG to step down and the DOJ was being run by a Deep State plant, Ron Rosenstein. Maybe this was the whole point of the RussiaGate op, tying Trump down while the statute of limitations ran.

NYPost: Candace Owens Leaves a Trail of Enemies, and Lawsuits, Everywhere She Goes

—Ace

This barely scratches the surface.

Candace Owens' attacks on Erika Kirk are fueled by her own jealousy and bitterness at being pushed out of Turning Point USA, sources claim to The Post.

The independent broadcaster, 36, described as "sadistic and dangerous" by insiders, didn't hold back from spreading baseless conspiracy theories about the grieving widow and her husband, activist Charlie Kirk, after he was assassinated on Sept. 10.

For those who have crossed her path, Owens' disregard for the truth, pursuit of attention and reckless behavior are all calculated.

Those who spoke to The Post claim Owens was loathed by staff when she worked at the Daily Wire, guests on her podcast doubt she believes her own lies and her pattern of inflammatory behavior can be traced all the way back to high school.

"Everything she is doing right now is because she wants to destroy Charlie's legacy and the organization he built because he threw her out of TPUSA," alleged one insider.

Influential voices on the right have become more and more conspiratorial in recent years -- and now, the paranoia is being wielded against its own: Erika Kirk in the wake of her husband Charlie's assassination.

For those of you who say "what does it matter," 1, she's trying to destroy the most effective youth-outreach conservative activist group because they fired her grifter ass, and 2, we're all being branded as insane conspiracy-theorist Nazi Jew-haters because we're trying to make friends with these people instead of just casting them out.

I'm so tired of hearing "Why don't you just stop talking about it." I'll offer you a deal: You start posting in Candace Owens' comments asking her to stop accusing Erika Kirk of murdering her husband. Report back to me what she says. If she stops, then I'll stop talking about her. Deal?

I'm so tired of these claims that criticism of Nazis like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens who are attempting -- successfully -- to destroy the right if out-of-line while they're allowed to continue demolishing everything good and true on the right.

Why is it that only Carlson's and Owens' critics have to duty to be silent for the sake of Unity? (Unity with Nazis, by the way.) Why don't they have a similar duty?

If you're a Nazi and you like this Nazi propaganda, don't be a coward, just say so. Stop with this bullshit that critics of Owens and Carlson have to remain silent while they're free to drop defamation after defamation on all of their many, many enemies on the right.

Owens worked for TPUSA as a communications director between 2017 and 2019.

"Charlie pushed her out because she was going a little bit nuts," a source close to TPUSA brass claimed to The Post, but noted "he would still text her to keep the friendship going."

False. She started off nuts. This deranged black Nazi has been a degenerate narcissist fame-chaser since high school.

She's also always been very litigious:

She is a graduate of Stamford High School in Connecticut.[7] In 2007, while a 17-year-old senior at Stamford High School, Owens received three racist death threat voicemail messages, totaling two minutes, from a group of white male classmates which included the son of then-mayor and future Democratic governor Dannel Malloy.[8][9][10][11] Joshua Starr, the city's superintendent of schools, listened to the voicemail messages and said that they were "horrendous".[11] Owens's family sued the Stamford Board of Education in federal court, alleging that the city did not protect her rights, resulting in a $37,500 settlement in January 2008.[7][12]

I'm just going to say it: I don't believe those were real. If she can make snap conclusions based on who she likes and who she doesn't like, then so can I. Charges were dropped against the accused kids.

After Charlie started dating Erika in 2018, the source added: "[Owens] was feeling usurped. Who is this interloper, who knew nothing, taking over?" The source claimed.

"She wasn't invited to Charlie's [2021] wedding. That was really telling."

Owens and Erika agreed on a truce over the weekend and were set to meet Monday to hash out their differences.

Conspiracies that Owens has spread about Charlie's murder include the involvement of Israeli Mossad agents, the US military, Egyptian planes and the French government -- despite it having occurred in public and been captured on video. The alleged assassin is in custody awaiting trial.

...

StopAntisemitism named Owens "Antisemite of the Year" in 2024, citing her statement that Judaism is a "pedophile-centric religion that believes in demons [and] child sacrifice," and spreading untrue conspiracies such as Israel was involved in 9/11 and a secret group of Jews in Hollywood was involved in the death of Michael Jackson.

Owen has also promoted the "blood libel" conspiracy, that Jewish people murder Christians to use their blood in ceremonies.

...

Owens is also facing a huge reckoning in court when Bridgette Macron's defamation lawsuit against her comes to trial, expected next year.

Macron filed a 220-page lawsuit in July 2025 alleging 22 counts of defamation and a "campaign of global humiliation" for financial gain against her.

The lawsuit claims Owens continued to repeat false allegations that the French first lady was born a man even after her attorneys were provided with extensive documentation -- including birth records, childhood photos and pregnancy records from her three children -- all demonstrating Macron was born female.

...

"She's about to be in serious financial difficulty" if the Macrons succeed in their lawsuit, a source claimed to The Post.

"She really is on the line for a huge sum of money. I think she probably realizes that now."

...

Sources said if Lord Farmer cuts off his son, George Farmer, and Owens, they would face further financial complications.

A source who knows the family said George "has never had a real job" and is mostly known for his lackluster attempt to launch a right-wing Twitter alternative called Parler, which is still active, but has a dwindling number of users.

Owens and her husband now live in Nashville, where she broadcasts her show, which is very lucrative, according to Fortune magazine, which estimated this month her company "generates up to $10 million" a year.

That's a large turnaround from her more humble beginnings in Connecticut. There, in 2017, she owed six months in back rent on her $3,500-a-month, two-bedroom luxury apartment in Stamford.

Faced with eviction, she instead filed a lawsuit against her landlord, Three Harbor Point Square, claiming the apartment had mold and seeking $15,000 in damages for "systemic yeast infections," "impacted cerumen [earwax] in the left ear," and "emotional distress."

She lost the case and instead had to pay the landlord $20,000 in damages and legal expenses.

...

After leaving TPUSA, Owens moved on to the Daily Wire, and insiders claim she grated with other people who worked there from the start.

One source said that in her first week, she threw her car keys at a producer and expected them to park her car. She is also said to have expected others to conduct her research, demanded a huge studio to film in and attempted to use the company's publicity arm to push herself, questioning why she hadn't been placed on the cover of People magazine.

"She was one of the worst people I've ever worked with," said one source.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Blasts Tim Walz, Now Accusing Him of Turning a Blind Eye to Somalis Stealing Student Aid By Registering as "Ghost Students" Who Don't Attend School and Don't Even Exist

—Ace

Last time it turned out that he was enabling mass fraud of welfare money by Somali pirates (and Democrat voters, legal or not), Walz claimed that if he had any fault, it was just of being too "generous" during covid. He wanted to protect people's health, you know.

What's the excuse for allowing fraud on an industrial scale in student aid?

Via Twitchy, McMahon explained the scam to the retard allowing it:

A "ghost student" is a fraudulent application or enrollment created by scammers using fake or stolen identities to steal financial aid and other resources from colleges and universities. The "students" never actually attend classes, or use AI to simulate minimal engagement, before disappearing with the funds.

Emails: FBI Agents Repeatedly Warned Biden's DOJ That There Was No Probable Cause for the Mar-a-Lago Raid

—Ace

Weird how we never heard warnings about the need for the DOJ to be independent of the president when Biden's thugs were raiding his rival's home.

Just the News:

The FBI in summer 2022 raised repeated objections to raiding Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, warning agents did not believe the Biden Justice Department had enough evidence to establish "probable cause" that the then-former president had broken the law in handling classified documents, according to bombshell memos turned over Tuesday to Congress.

"WFO [FBI's Washington Field Office] has conducted approximately [Redacted] interviews related to this matter. Very little has been developed related to who might be culpable for mishandling the documents," a June 1, 2022 FBI memo declared. "From the interviews, WFO has gathered information suggesting that there may be additional boxes (presumably of the same type as were sent back to NARA [National Archives] in January) at Mar-a-Lago."

"WFO has been drafting a Search Warrant affidavit related to these potential boxes, but has some concerns that the information is single source, has not been corroborated, and may be dated. DOJ CES [Counterintelligence and Export Control Section] opines, however, that the SWs [search warrants] meet the probable cause standard," that memo read.

The independent straight-shooters of the FBI found no probable cause, but Biden's political leadership of the DOJ found there was.

I'm sure Jake Tapper will get right on this.

Over a month later, FBI agents raised more concerns, including about the legality of searching Trump's personal residence at the Mar-a-Lago residence, the memos show.

"DOJ has inquired as to an Ops Plan for a SW of MAL [Mar-a-Lago]. and that we already had an Ops Plan in place that will [sic] can be quickly updated between FBI/MM [Miami Field Office] and FBI/WF [Washington Field Office]," a redacted FBI agent in the nation's capital wrote in a July 12, 2022 email. "However, WF-[Redacted] does not believe we have PC for the 45 Office or the bedroom due to recency and issues of boxes versus classified information. Therefore, as Mv

Just the News obtained a copy of the memos after Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel declassified them and turned them over to Congress.

"Received shocking new docs 2day from DOJ & FBI showing FBI DID NOT BELIEVE IT HAD PROBABLE CAUSE to raid Pres[ident] Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, but Biden DOJ pushed for it anyway," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. "Based on the records, Mar-a-Lago raid was a miscarriage of justice."

The emails were turned over to the Senate and House Judiciary committees, ahead of a planned deposition Wednesday from ex-special prosecutor Jack Smith, who inherited the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case just months after the August 2022 raid of Trump's home that rocked the political world ahead of the 2024 election.

It has long been rumored that some FBI agents disagreed with the decision to raid Trump's home to look for classified documents at the request of the National Archives.

But the declassified emails chronicle the specific concerns that DOJ under President Joe Biden had not met the standard for a search warrant, but proceeded anyway, officials said.

Jay Bratt, at the time the chief of the DOJ's CES and a future member of future special counsel Jack Smith's team, was key in pushing for the Mar-a-Lago raid. An FBI official sent an email on June 2, 2022 stating that "we learned from Jay Bratt that he did not intend to 'negotiate' with [Trump lawyer Evan] Corcoran, or have any further discussions with him."

Brett Reynolds, a trial attorney at CES, appeared to send a draft of a search warrant on July 8, 2022. Michael Thacker, an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, appeared to send another draft version of a search warrant on July 13, 2022.

"We haven't generated any new facts, but keep being given draft after draft after draft. Absent a witness coming forward with recent information about classified on site, at what point is it fair to table this? It is time consuming for the team, and not productive if there are no new facts supporting PC?" an FBI official wrote in a July 13, 2022 email.

"As everyone is tracking, WFO does not believe (and has articulated to DOJ CES) that we have established probable cause for the search warrant for classified documents at Mar-a-Lago," an FBI official wrote in another email dated July 20, 2022.

Put them in prison. G-pop.